Rainbows are everywhere right now. I’m sure that you’ve noticed. And, you know what? I love rainbows! I love pictures of rainbows, legends of rainbows, science of rainbows and ROY G BIV. I love songs about rainbows, whether sung by Judy Garland or Kermit. I love the misty, rain-to-sunshine weather that produces rainbows– weather that, when I was in Ireland, was called “soft”. It is so amazing that when the dark gray of a rainy day collides with the blue sky of a sunny day, a rainbow bursts through!
When I was a little girl, I learned that a rainbow is the sign of God’s promise. In the book of Genesis, after evil increased upon the earth, God decided to send a great flood to cover the earth. He saved Noah and his family, and enough animals in a great ark to “start over”. Every other living thing was destroyed. After these things, in Genesis chapter 9, God tells Noah and his family that He is making a covenant with them. This covenant extends to all the descendants of Noah, and even to all the animals of the earth. God would never again destroy the earth with a flood. God keeps his promises! Genesis 9:8-17
If you notice in the passage, God’s promise extends not just to Noah, and his family, and not just to their descendants, but also to the birds, livestock and animals that came out of the ark. So, I have to wonder when I see a rainbow, are the animals also rejoicing in God’s promise? In addition, the sign of the rainbow is an everlasting covenant. Isn’t it great that we have an eternal God who can keep a promise forever? And, to me, one of the most astounding things about these verses is that God says in Genesis 9:13 that when He sees the rainbow, He will remember His everlasting covenant with all life on earth. So, when I look at a rainbow and remember God’s promise, God is also seeing the rainbow and remembering His promise. The rainbow in the sky is a sign that allows us, in that moment, to join with God to remember His eternal covenant to all living things on the earth. That gives me chills! So, yes, I love rainbows!
Why not make a rainbow with your children, VBS, Bible club, or Sunday School class this week, and teach them the meaning of the rainbow from God’s word? Then, every time they see a rainbow, they can immediately think of God’s promise.
Here is the cute and easy rainbow craft that we used at our Mexico VBS last year.
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Rainbows certainly are special — and beautiful! My youngest (whom we affectionately call “Little Brother”) and I made a fun little paper craft a week or two ago that we found online. It was a printable Noah’s ark with animals and a rainbow. In the version we did, the ark was actually to be colored and assembled into a 3-D boat.
I’m not sure I would recommend this for a big group of children as it was a bit complicated, but for the two of us, it was a lot of fun. It provided plenty of opportunity to discuss and retell the story of the ark, the flood, and the rainbow promise — both in the making of the craft and in the several times Little Brother asked if we could play with our sets again over the next few days. 🙂
I really like your rainbow project — I will head over there to comment real quick, too!
That sounds like a fun craft, too, and an even better teaching time with “Little Brother”. I noticed the rainbow on your website, also. : )
Yes, as I was praying about the design of my website and “brand” some time back, I felt the rainbow should be a significant part of it. It really is such a beautiful reminder of God’s promises — not to mention the seriousness of His law! Justice and mercy; righteousness and peace. 🙂